| Uganda 'must arrest' rebel leader | ||
Joseph Kony is wanted for war crimes by the court, but on Wednesday Uganda's president offered him a peace deal. Yoweri Museveni said Mr
Kony had until the end of July to end the war and said his safety would be guaranteed. But the ICC says Uganda's government referred the case to the court and must honour its commitment. The LRA has abducted thousands of children and forced them to fight since the conflict in the north began two decades ago. 'Serious crimes' "It's the government of Uganda that referred the situation to the International Criminal Court in December 2003... they are now under obligations and made a commitment," the court's spokesperson Sandra Khadouri told the BBC's Network Africa programme.
According to a press release from Uganda's State House, during a meeting with British overseas development minister, Hilary Benn, the Ugandan president said the rebel leader had until the end of July to end the war peacefully. "If he got serious about a peaceful settlement, the government of Uganda would guarantee his safety," the statement added. But Ms Khadouri said the charges against Mr Kony and four other LRA commanders were "serious international crimes". These included "murders, abductions, mass burning of houses, looting of entire villages, massive destruction, enslavement and inducement of rape", she said. The United Nations says 25,000 children have been abducted by the LRA since the rebellion began, to be used as sex slaves or to fight against the Ugandan army. "The governments are Uganda, Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo are under a legal obligation to
cooperate with the ICC," Ms Khadouri said. The BBC's Will Ross in Kampala says the Sudanese government officials have recently met the rebel leadership, including Mr Kony. Some people will ask why he was not arrested, he says. Past attempts to negotiate an end to the war have failed, with both the Ugandan government and the rebels being accused of lacking commitment to peace talks. The LRA has been weakened by a military offensive, but in recent months, the rebels have spread across southern Sudan and into DR Congo. Meanwhile, some displaced Ugandans are returning home, but sporadic attacks in northern Uganda continue to keep some 1.5m people in squalid camps. The cobweb of intrudge we waive for ourselves...in this day of our lives The Museveni dictatorship reffered "kony" to the ICC precisely because the regime could not contain "kony"!! Now asking
Museveni to arrest "Kony" is like asking the Impossible!!!!! MK | ||
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